- Jamie
Boost Your 2023 Small Business Instagram+ 10 Easy Instagram Reels & Post Ideas
Updated: Jan 26
What is Instagram marketing?
Instagram has exploded into one of the most popular social media networks out there. Instagram has established itself as one of the go-to social networks for companies who want to foster business growth by showing off their products, engaging with customers, and building relationships with new prospects.
How effective is Instagram for small businesses?
One reason why Instagram is popular among small business owners is the sheer number of people on the network. According to Statista, in 2021, 70% of U.S. adults between 18-29 years old use Instagram. Additionally, Instagram boasts 1 billion monthly active users worldwide.
How popular is it?
According to Hootsuite, "As of May 2019, 50% of Instagram users access the app daily, and 30% check it at least once daily. Also, according to Retail Touchpoints, "72% of users report making purchase decisions based on something they saw on Instagram."
That means that you're missing out on a massive audience of potential clients if you still need to create or maximize an Instagram business account.
Start (or Refresh) Your 2023 Instagram Marketing Strategy
Whether starting fresh or revisiting and revamping your 2023 strategy, making sure your plan is relevant and aligned with your goals is essential.
1. Do Your Research
Competitive Analysis - This is an essential exercise for any business because it helps to understand your competitors' strengths and weaknesses. This information will help you identify opportunities like content gaps that might otherwise be missed.
Target Audience - Learn about your audience and design personas based on demographics (age, household income), lifestyle characteristics (e.g., hobbies, physical activity), or behavioral patterns (preferences for types of products or brands). You can use these audiences to plan communications that will reach them most effectively.
Keywords - Keyword research can be defined simply as finding what people are searching for on various search engines around the internet. Gathering this information can help you align your content with your audience and business goals. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools can give you insight into your keyword strategy, and using that, you can determine what might fit well for each post.
2. Set your Instagram marketing goals
After you've done some research on your audience and niche, you can now determine your primary objectives. Establishing clear goals for your campaigns with help you with direction and measuring results.
Below are a few examples of small business Instagram marketing goals you might choose to include:
Increase brand awareness among (target audience) within (specific period)
Increase consideration
Increase conversions
Increase engagement among (target audience) by (X) percent by (deadline)
3. Establish content pillars, themes, or critical message topics
Content pillars are key messages you want to communicate across your digital marketing efforts. These pillars act as guides for you when planning and creating your content. Consider them as building blocks that define your content's direction and help your messaging be consistent.
Once you have set the goals for your campaigns, you'll need to decide which pillar you'd like to focus on. Keep a few things in mind, including:
Think about what your ideal customer looks for and what problems they're trying to solve.
Consider what categories could benefit those problems and what types of content could address them.
Once you have decided on your topic, choose an approach that works best for your brand.
4. Establish content frequency and timing
Now, it's time to plan. Gather all of your information from above and consider your business goals, marketing goals, resources, and budget.
This is a great time to start on your content calendar. You can break it down by campaign, quarter, month, week, or other segments. It can be as simple as a printable social media calendar or an intricate Google sheet.
Identifying what you'll post, when, where, and who will be responsible for producing the content gives you a roadmap in the content creation process.
5. Use Instagram Analytics to track your progress
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Like other social media platforms, Instagram has an excellent native analytics dashboard to help you track your progress, including your social media content performance, follower count, demographics of those followers, and audience engagement.
Note: make sure you have a business profile. This information is handy and can help guide you toward the content that resonates with your target audience.
Key Takeaways
Instagram is home to over a billion users worldwide
70% of U.S. adults between 18-29 years old
An overwhelming majority of users report making purchasing decisions based on something they saw on Instagram
Developing your Instagram strategy should begin with understanding your target audience, performing a competitive analysis, and keyword research
Setting your content pillars or critical messages will help with brand consistency
Use the social network's basic analytics to track engagement rates, social post-performance, and more.
10 Instagram Reels Ideas You Can Create Right Now
Highlight an upcoming product or event
Preview an upcoming blog post about an industry topic
Explain a process or deliver helpful hints or tips
Highlight a customer service win by posting a positive review or testimonial
Feature items from your product catalog, menu, or services
Post a reel showing your business in action. Ex. a busy restaurant at night, your manufacturing shop in action, or delivering your product
Post a reel highlighting your team or recognizing an employee
Break up existing video content into smaller reels
Incorporate user-generated content (photo contests, etc.) into a reel
Create a reel featuring a before and after
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